With the Valentine`s Day just around the corner it is time to start focusing on gift giving. We all want to give beautiful and meaningful gifts at Valentine`s Day, but all too often they can break the bank. What if I could show you how to make a dozen natural bath gifts for free?! You know me, I am a person that loves to creative DIY gifts for the holidays and stay on a budget. So, these are prefect, because they are quick and easy to make, and all the ingredients you probably already have at home. Maybe you’ll have to scrounge a couple of items you probably don’t normally have in your cupboard at home (e.g. citric acid – the stuff that makes them fizz!).
As I mentioned, they make fantastic gifts – they’re inexpensive and much appreciated! Wrap a few up in a cellophane bag and tie it with some nice ribbon and ta-da!
Once you get the hang of it, you will want them in your bathroom all the time, so you can make double batches all at once and have your DIY bath bombs ready for weeks’ or months’ worth of luxurious tub soaks. Nice!!
1 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of citric acid
1/2 cup of corn starch
2 tsp of essential oil
5 teaspoons of water
food or soap color
a bath bomb mold or cake mold
What you do:
1. Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl - make sure there is no lumps.
2. Add a essential oil and color in the water and whisk together.
3. Now comes the tricky part, when you can ruin everything. Here`s what to do. Add just a few drops at the time and whisk vigorously to stop the fizzing. Repeat until all the liquid is used.
You should end up with the mixture a bit more damp to be able to press them into the molds. To make sure you have the right consistency, press the mixture in your hand first. It should stay compact like in the photo below. Throw this ball back in the bowl, it should stay compact. If it`s falling apart, add a little bit more liquid.
4. Spoon some mix into the heart shaped mold (it`s for Valentine`s day after all) – enough to fill it about 1/3 – 1/2 way. With your fingers press the mixture hard into the bottom of the mold AND PRESS PRESS PRESS! You want the mold packed as tightly as you possibly can so the bath bomb is easier to remove and doesn’t fall apart easily after you’ve removed it or in the process of removal. Layer more mixture onto the packed down stuff and repeat, pressing as hard as you can. You will get the feel of it and the process will speed up. Repeat with the other molds.
5. Pop ‘em out! I find it works well for my mold if I turn it over onto a flat surface covered with a towel (but it also works just fine without it). I bend the pan a little bit and tap the top of the mold with the spoon until they fall out.
6. Now you need to let them dry. I’ve experimented with how long this actually takes, and I left them overnight. (I put them under my radiator), or you can put them in your fridge for at least 1 hour. This step will depend a bit on your climate – if you live in a more humid climate you might want to store them somewhere like a closet to protect them a bit from the humidity while they dry.
And their you have it! Your cheap and fancy new DIY bath bombs can be used right away or stored for several months.
For the once you make for yourself, (because you will likely be storing them in a humid bathroom), I recommend placing them in a sealed jar or use a large pickle jar with a tight lid.
If you are giving them as a gift, wrap them in a cellophane and tie a cute bow. Add a card or a love message and you are done! I have a cute Valentine`s day gift tag free printable for you below. Just click on the link and download them. You can use them together - front and back or separately, however you want.
If you are giving them as a gift, wrap them in a cellophane and tie a cute bow. Add a card or a love message and you are done! I have a cute Valentine`s day gift tag free printable for you below. Just click on the link and download them. You can use them together - front and back or separately, however you want.
Happy Valentine`s bath time!!
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